TITLE I DONT HAVE A TITLE YET THE SEQEUL
by Dr. Eminem
Summary: Follow up to TITLE I DON"T HAVE A TILE YET, I'm doing great with the titles. After he's gone bad, can he ever be good again, or was he awlays both? Jack hasfew problems along the way. Hopefully it has an ending that will shock you all.
1. Default Chapter

DISCLAIMER: I DON"T OWN THE CHARATERS.

AUTHOR NOTE:

If you have Read TITLE I DON"T HAVE A TITLE YET than you might not want to read this because it follows TITLE I DON"T HAVE ATITLE YET. FOR U non Freud versed people the id would be the almost but not quite equivalent of the devil on ones shoulder, and the superego would be the angel leaving the ego the person itself. Just quick explanation not exact to the matter, but close.

They drove through the city. Jack looked out the window watching for any trouble. He doubted they would run into some, but this aching feeling inside of dread told him more was to come of his previous endeavourers. He wasn't sure what he was going to do now that he was a free man, in a sense.

He could very easily escape into the well hidden world of what some might call terrorism. It wasn't hard to completely disappear when there was nothing left to hold on to for the past live you lived. Or he could do what he said he would do take down one of the largest international no holds bar crime organizations. Both had their appeal. Jack was a split man in a sense. Freud id and super ego, without the ego. The ego left when he held his dead wife in his arms after that long day, and the thought the superego had left after he watched Kim die, and had to clean her brain matter of his face.

Nina looked over at Jack, she was surprised to see him. Even more surprised that he was even able to move. She asked in a low voice as to not let the driver hear her, "Are you ok?"

Jack smiled at her, "Besides looking awful and being in pain with every breath I take?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah I guess." Nina laughed at his attempt at humor.

"Sure. We got lucky this time." He smiled at her, a genuine smile.

"I'm not so sure about that." She said in a foreboding voice.

"What is the plan now?" Jack asked.

"We are going to take a boat to international waters. Get you a doctor and than figure out what to do next. Where to go."

Jack smiled at her the lack of sleep and pain getting to him. He closed his eye and quickly was plunged into a deep sleep. He awoke with a jolt. He was having a nightmare. Kim with half her head missing, Teri with a hole with blood leaking out of it where Nina had shot her, and a child, a young boy, all were attacking him. Pushing him around asking "Why?" He screamed at them, "Why what? I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I tried. I'm sorry I failed, but I didn't kill you." Right as they were getting ready to answer he was jolted awake by a hand gently shaking him.

Nina was next to him, "Shh." He gently stroked his sweaty hear, she had been the one gently shaking him, "It was just a dream." She noticed the look of fright in his eyes. She had seen it before. The nights she spent with him before everything went down, he would wake up every now and than screaming in a cold sweat. She was sure it was dreams of what had happened in Operation Nightfall that were haunting him, but he never spoke of it.

She would always put her arm around him and stroke his hair gently till he fell back asleep, they never spoke about it.

Jack wiped the sweat off his face and asked, "How long was I out?"

"About ten minutes. Not that long. WE are almost there. Steve already arranged for a doctor to meet us there."

"I don't need a doctor." Jack snapped angrily grimacing in pain as he moved slightly in the seat.

"Jack shut up. For once in your life don't be stupid. Look at yourself.

One of your eyes is swollen shut, and I can only guess how much damage is under your clothes." She said gently touching his rib cage causing him to flinch away in pain.

The car stopped and the back doors opened. There was a man Jack knew as

James at his door ready to help him out. They all had heard about Jack's

condition and were told to aid him as much as possible.

"Hey Jack." James said excited he had looked up to Jack and followed Jack's every move so that one day he might be able to be as good as Jack had been. "You look like hell."

"Thanks kid. So do you." Jack said smiling as he got out of the car by himself. He was a man of pride and even if it hurt him to move he would walk himself over to the boat and on to the boat without help. He didn't need help he could handle anything.

James walked being Jack ready to help whenever Jack started to fall. He was amazed by his idol even more as he watched him walk onto the boat. James lead him to a room they had set up for the doctor to look over Jack. He left Jack in the room and went to his work.

Nina went directly to the shower. She wanted a shower and she knew Jack would not want her in the room with him as the doctor was examining him.

Jack sat on the small bed that was set up. The doctor looked at him and knew he needed to jack of site to get x-rays and other scans. He did a quick once over and said, "I can't help you here. You could have some internal damage among other things. I could take you to this clinic I run. Your name would never be used or even on paper."

"No." Jack said in pain.

"I can't help you here than sir."

Nina walked into the room ready to ask how Jack was and heard it, "Do it."

"NO." Jack agued.

"Jack do it or I'll have the doctor drug you and than James and the others to carry your sorry a$$ off the boat onto shore."

Jack looked at her challenging her to do it.

"Fine have it your way Jack. Nina called for James and Steven." The two men walked into the room and could feel the tension. Nina ordered them, "Hold Jack down while the doctor sedates him."

They both looked at Nina confused and than went to comply with her order.

Jack saw the doctor pulling out some type of drug in vile he knew would be injected into. "Fine I'll go." Jack said in a low voice.

"That's what I thought. That'll be all guys." Nina smiled at her small victory. "About how long will it take doctor?"

"A few hours." He answered.

"Good make sure you charge everything to Hendrix he said he was footing the bills for this little trip."

"Yes ma'am." The doctor helped Jack off the boat to his car. He thought about all the damage he had seen on Jack in the quick look over, and began to wonder what happened to him that caused this much damage.


	2. Nina, what happened to him?

They got to the clinic and the doctor took Jack through the back door even if the clinic was closed he didn't' want anyone to see the man going in. He put Jack in one of the examination room and began to collect all the supplies he would need. He than had a thought he needed a bigger machine.

He walked back into the room the man was in and said, "I can't do everything here. I know I said I could, but I can't. I'm going to move you to the hospital I have full access to the facilities and I can get in and out without any record of it."

Jack knew something like this was coming he was to tied and sore to argue, "Do whatever I'll follow whatever you say." Jack gave in.

"Ok got to move you a little more." The man said walking up and helping Jack off the bed back to the car. He drove to the nearest hospital and got a wheel chair to wheel Jack inside. He went directly to the CAT scan machine and started the process after giving Jack a full brief on what he needed him to do while inside.

When he finished he put Jack back in the wheel chair and went back to the clinic with the scans. He started to count the number of broken bones and gave up. Jack had multiple broken ribs, two of his fingers were practically shattered, a collar bone had been fractured, and so had his wrist in one spot. The only real good news he found through the scans that Jack had not suffered a skull fracture. He went to setting all of Jack's broken bones and putting a cast on the ones he could. "I'm not sure what to do about the ring finger." He said quietly to himself he had given Jack a mild sedative to help with the pain and Jack was clearly not in a shape to care that he was baffled by the shattered finger. He taped it up and hoped for the best.

He went to fixing all of the incision on Jack. He looked at the gun shot wound and cringed. It had become slightly infected and he knew that would be causing a fever soon. He cleaned it out and fixed it up again. He found some antibiotics and put them into Jack's blood stream to help the infection. After hours of working on Jack he was sure he had done all he could do. He went to his office where he had a small supply of subscription samples. He found Demerol and penicillin to give to whoever would come to pick Jack up. He grabbed a small plastic bag and filled it with gauze, antibiotic crème, and tape to help keep Jack's wounds dressed and clean.

After he finished he went and checked on Jack. Jack was fully awake and clearly in pain.

"Sir I'm going to give you a sedative to help you sleep. It looks like you haven't slept in a long time and your body needs the rest to help fight off the infection and heal properly." The doctor inserted the needle into Jack's arm before he could object.

After he saw to it that Jack was resting he dialed the number he had been called from earlier.

"Hello." A voice answered.

"The man is ready now. I have his prescriptions and anything else he needs here too."

"I will send some people to collect him." The man voice said before he hung up.

The doctor felt a tinge of fear; they still could kill him to keep him from ever speaking about the patient he treated. He knew by the man's state that it was not something he wanted to be involved in but he didn't have much of a choice in the end. He waited for the people to come each time thinking maybe he should run away and leave the man here or call the cops. For all he knew the man was being held against his will, it didn't seem like that on the boat, but looks can be deceiving.

The men were there within a half hour to procure Jack. James and Steven struggle to carry Jack's dead weight to the car. They didn't want to hurt him further. The doctor handed them Jack's clothes, he had Jack changed into scrubs. They thanked the doctor and gave him money for being quiet about it and left. The doctor was relieved once they were gone. He went inside and turned the news on. The man he had been treating was on; he had escaped jail earlier today. They went on to say he was armed and very dangerous. The doctor thought about calling the police, but the man didn't seem to dangerous and someone sure had beat the hell out of him, to which the doctor assumed the police because they man had incurred the injuries over the past few days by the looks of them, and if he had been in jail he very well could not have gotten them anywhere else. The doctor looked up the clinic and went home forgetting about all he had done that day.

When they got back to the boat the men carried Jack into a room and laid him gently on the bed. Nina looked at Jack worriedly he had been sleeping so hard, he didn't even wake when James accidentally hit his broken collar bone.

"Why is he so out of it?" Nina asked worried, she was worried for Jack it hit her hard. No she was just worried about someone she knew was a good worker she lied to herself.

"The doctor sedated him. He gave us some antibiotics Jack is suppose to take along with some pain killers." James said.

"Thank you James could you leave me and Steven for a minute I need to talk to him about something."

"Yes ma'am." James left quickly.

Steven took a seat he knew Nina was going to start questioning about everything as if he knew the answers.

"How do you think he got so messed up? I saw him in the interrogation room he wasn't this bad off."

"Maybe the police?" Steven offered.

"Yeah but they can't legally do that and why would they?" Nina questioned further. "By the looks of it they didn't even take him to the hospital for the gun shot wound. They took me." She said confused something wasn't right here.

"I don't know. He was one of them."

"So was I at one time." She said shutting down everything Steven thought of.

"But he was like a super agent for them. He was the guy if I'm not mistaken. His lose would be a greater problem than yours wouldn't it?" He didn't want to hurt Nina's feelings by making her think her defection was worthless or any less than Jacks, but in the end it had been.

"Yeah I guess. Something just isn't right." Nina said sitting on the bed next to Jack.

"Anything else?" Steven asked before standing up.

Jack had begun to sweat and shake slightly the fever the doctor had predicted was starting. "Yes could you bring me a basin of cool water and a towel. He has a fever." Nina said standing up pulling the blankets over Jack. She looked down at his face and felt a twinge of sadness for his condition. She hoped he healed quickly.

Steven returned with a basin of cool water and asked, "Do you want me to bring you anything to eat?"

"No not right now. Nina had noticed the boat was moving, "When will we be in international waters?"

"About an hour."

"Let me know when we are."

"Yes Ma'am." Steven went to leave the room and than he turned back, "Is he going to be ok?"

"I think so. He has a high tolerance for pain."

Steven left the room he had work to do; he had to make sure everything went smooth as they tried to make it to international waters. It was his job to make sure Nina and Jack were safe. The boss's wanted to make sure that they both were alive and able to work soon. He had promised he would try his hardest to help them get to that point.

Nina watched Jack a little longer before she decided to leave him to sleep. She put the cool wash cloth on his head and left the room. She walked to the deck of the boat and surveyed the world. She had always loved being on the water because it had a calming effect. She use to think not matter what her problems were she could always find a body of water and just watch it and the water would was away her problems.


	3. Stay Please

Jack awoke slowly from the drug induced sleep. When he opened his eyes he felt the cold wash cloth and took it off, he was already cold enough he didn't need that to aid. He looked around to try to figure out where he was everything was sort of hazy. He sat up slowly fighting through the pain to lean against the back of the bed. He took note of all of his injuries. He noticed his left arm was in a sling. He moved it slightly and cried out in pain as his shoulder and wrist screamed out in agony his delicate nerves telling him they didn't like the movement.

He slowly stood up from the bed. His stomach growling because he had not really ate anything that he could remember in quiet some time besides the poisoned ravioli. He walked to the door slowly an opened it with his right hand. He walked out into the hall and the boat rocked some throwing him back against the hallway wall. He groaned slightly from the contact with his sore body. He moved again slowly putting his right hand against the wall to steady himself. He made it to the steps before anyone noticed he was moving down the hallway of the yacht.

"Jack what are you doing out of bed?" Nina called down the steps. She walked down them to help him over to the couch that sat in the small dining room area.

"I was looking for you." He said.

"What was so important that you got yourself out of bed in this condition? Look at you. You are burning up Jack, and you are not supposed to be moving."

"What you don't trust me now?" Jack said clearly angry.

"No I'm worried about you. Have you looked in the mirror recently? They beat you good and you are not in the best shape." Nina said standing up not sure if she did trust him or not.

"Can I get something to eat and drink?" He asked licking his dry lips.

"Sure."

"A beer?" He tried knowing she probably wouldn't give him one with all the medication he had in him.

"No. Water or juice."

"Orange juice with Vodka?"

"No Jack." Nina laughed at him. She gave him a glass of orange juice and asked, "What do you want to eat?"

"Anything but ravioli."

"Ok how about some pasta."

"Fine with me. Where are we?"

"WE are about in international waters. After that we are going to make our way down the coast to Mexico. Set up shop there, find some work, and than go from there."

"Any trouble yet?"

"None. They weren't to mad. Once they heard about your shape, and how things went sour from the get go, and that we were reimbursing them their money they weren't to mad. They said they might have another job for us. So that has to be good."

"Yeah." Jack said finishing off the orange juice. He started to shiver slightly as he was still cold. Nina noticed and walked down the hall and grabbed a blanket out of the room to wrap around him.

"Thanks." Jack said.

"No problem after all you did help me. And I do owe you." She smiled at him. She had noticed a slight change in him again. Before he was just simply angry, and was fueled by anger, but now he wasn't as angry. He was almost happy she thought. He had changed again hopefully not for the better.

She put the food in front of him in which he quickly devoured it. When he finished she said, "Time to go back to bed. You need to rest to get some strength back." She said helping him off the couch. She kept her good arm protectively against his back as she led him down the hall to the bedroom again. He got into bed and grabbed her good arm, he wasn't sure why he did, but he didn't want to be alone. Every time he closed his eyes he would think of his big friend coming back to visits. "Stay please."

"Ok Jack." She said sliding in the bed next to him. She gently put her arm across his chest and watched him as he slowly closed his eyes. After awhile she quietly asked, "Jack you awake?"

She got a slight groan out of him. He use to do that when they were together before everything. She knew he was asleep. She gently moved her head onto his good shoulder and fell asleep next to him feeling his chest gently rise and fall.


	4. Where Was jack?

Jack slowly woke he felt someone on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw Nina. All the conflicting emotions came rushing. He thought to himself, _Bauer she killed your wife how could you be with her. Bauer she saved you from the world you were. Bauer you dog you. She was always one great piece of ars and even more. _

He tried to gently move himself away from her, but instead caused himself enough pain that he cried out in pain.

Nina sat up quickly noticing she had fallen asleep. When she heard him cry in pain she thought she had been the one to cause it. "I'm sorry." She looked at him worried. She was surprised by being worried. Everything was getting complicated. She wasn't supposed to feel for him like this, she was suppose to act like she did, but not actually. It was happening all over again, like when she was undercover at CTU. Everything was confusing nothing made sense, and she knew in the end she couldn't have him, not him. Not the Jack she had liked before, he was gone and replaced with the new Jack she helped make slowly. She didn't start right when she captured him no, she started the day she killed Teri.

"It wasn't your fault." He said moving himself further away this time not crying out in pain even though his nerves erupted shooting out messages of pain that quickly rain to the neurons in his brain screaming at him to stop moving, but as always he ignored them and kept moving till he was far enough away that he could climb out of the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"Bathroom." Jack answered slowly walking out of the room.

Nina could tell he was uncomfortable being that close to her and understood his feelings.

As he walked to the bathroom thinking about all he was doing. Could he really be good again. After what the supposed side of "good" did to him. They left him in that place to die or break, and when he did they later punished him for it and than proceeded to break him again. How many times can a man be broken and re-fixed again? Jack thought to himself, _At least two times._ But he felt no allegiance to anyone, not even himself. Nina killed his wife, and betray him. CTU betray him and aided in the death of his daughter. He betray himself, killed his wife and daughter, and countless other people. So who was he to listen to?

Nina walked into the bathroom where Jack was splashing cold water on his face. She studied him for a second he had not noticed she had walked in yet. She walked up and gently touched his shoulder, "Jack I'm sorry."

"I already said it wasn't your fault." He said irritated by her being there in this moment when he was trying to figure out who or what he was.

She opened her mouth to continue but closed it quickly what was she doing. She left the room quickly and went to the deck of the boat to get away from him. She was loosing her mind slowly. She couldn't care for Jack Bauer nor could he care for her it was to messed up even for the weird world they were caught in now. With that she decided to figure out something. She took out her phone and called her contact.

"hello?"

"It's me. Can you find out something for me even it is pretty classified?"

"Depends." The voice answered back.

"You've heard the rumor about the place they take people to be interrogated right?"

"Of course. I'm sure it exists it's just a matter of finding it."

"If it exists could you see if someone happened to be a visitor recently?"

"I might be able to let me check around I'll get back to you."

"Before you do that check to see how long Jack Bauer was at the county jail in L.A. and who would have been guarding him."

"That's easy. I'll email the information to you in an hour."

The phone line went dead and Nina put the cell phone in her pocket looking out into the ocean.

Jack came above deck a second later walking over to Nina, "Do you have any music or anything? I need to hear anything."

Nina knew Jack's love of music and his habit of having music on whenever he was not at work or working. "All I have are the Blues Travelers." She remembered their weekend in Santa Barbara ended with Jack taking her to a concert where the Blues Travelers were the headliners. She remembered the night so well, it was the first time she actually had felt something for him more than just the information she and trust she could get from him. He was the first person to do something that nice for her in a long time. She rewarded him well that last night she smiled as she remembered it.

Jack frowned at the memory. It brought back the feeling of betrayal and hatred he had for her. Hatred because even after she killed Teri a part of him still yearned for her. And he hated her for doing that to him, and hated himself for having anything but hatred for her. "Someone else must have something else." HE said with a frown on his face.

"I'll ask one of he guys. I'm sure James has something he would love you to hear." She said sarcastically knowing the young man looked up to Jack.

Nina went bellow finding James who was delighted to give her a CD . She knew she could blast the music throughout the boat, but it was finding the right switches to turn on and off. She found them after several attempts and went back above deck. She noticed Jack slightly shacking and said, "I'll go get you a blanket. James gave me a CD he said you might like this song. Be nice."

Send away for a priceless gift  
One not subtle, one not on the list  
Send away for a perfect world  
One not simply, so absurd  
In these times of doing what you're told  
You keep these feelings, no one knows  
What ever happened to the young man's heart  
Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart.

Nina listened to the lyrics and instantly thought of Jack. She had watched the slow evolution of Jack over the years. She could barely remember the Jack she knew that was happy before that day. Than there was the angry man that replaced him who was fueled purely by hatred of himself and her. His anger and pain consumed him and out of that was born the junkie Jack Bauer, and now the evil Jack Bauer. She wondered how many more times he could change before he went completely berserk.

When she returned back to the deck she noticed him sitting on the bench. She put the blanket around him and sat next to him both silently thinking.  
  
And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45,  
Swimming through the ashes of another life  
No real reason to accept the way things have changed  
Staring down the barrel of a 45

Jack thought about the lyrics himself. It reminded him almost of the night he sat at his house staring at the picture of his dead wife, and dead daughter with him. He didn't recognize the man. He was a complete stranger Jack had let himself change that much and loose himself that much. He had stared down the barrel of his gun many of times since he lost Teri and thought about pulling the trigger and letting the bullet escape.

Send a message to the unborn child  
Keep your eyes open for a while  
In a box high up on the shelf, left for you, no one else  
There's a piece of a puzzle known as life  
Wrapped in guilt, sealed up tight  
  
What ever happened to the young man's heart  
Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart

Nina started to slightly shake herself the cold sea air blowing on them. Jack noticed this and thought about offering her some of the blanket. He looked at her and felt it all over again the loving her and hating her that just tore at his heart. "Come here." He said pulling her in with his good arm. They sat on the bench together watching the sunrise.  
  
Everyone's pointing their fingers  
Always condemning me  
And nobody knows what I believe  
I believe

There cozy time together was interrupted when Nina's cell phone rang. She got up and walked away assuming it was her contact.

Jack noticed this movement and felt worried. She had not done this before if they had been in a room together and she got a phone call she always answered it there. He got up and went bellow deck. As he was walking back to the room James was walking past not paying attention and accidentally bumped into Jack, who grunted in pain as he closed his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Jack. Are you ok?"

"Yeah it's fine kid." Jack said patting him on the back with his good arm hiding the obvious pain he felt.

"Did you like the CD?"

"It was good Kid. Nice music taste you have there."

"You want me to burn you a copy?"

"Sure Kid." Jack said. "Wake me when he get to Mexico ok."

"Yes sir." James said excited that he had pleased Jack forgetting about his stupid incident in the hallway.

Jack went back to the room and lay on the bed to rest a little all the moving getting to his sore body. He closed his eyes and tried to shut off the ever present debate in his mind. He heard someone walking down the hallway, but he didn't feel like sitting up. He heard the door open and felt her eyes on him. He knew it was her, but he still did not want to open his eyes.

Nina knew he was awake she called to him, "Jack."

"Yeah." He answered still not opening his eyes.

"Just wanted to make sure you were ok." She said leaving the room to let him rest.

Jack opened his eyes after she left. He was tired still, even after all the sleep he had. He decided to take a shower. He went to find Nina he didn't have any clothes. He found her talking to Steven. Jack listened quietly.

"He wasn't at the jail. Someone wanted to make it look that way. My source said he was brought in about twenty minutes before he escaped." Nina whispered to Steven.

"Yes but how did he get so messed up than? He wouldn't do that to himself, and there is no way he would have helped you get into CTU and take a shot like he did just to stay undercover. You know him best do you think he would go this far?"

"Not this far. Shooting yes, but willing to give us files at CTU like that no. And they would have had to set up a complete different network to give us false files. I don't know what's going on, but I don't trust him."

"So what do you want me to do?" Steven asked.

"Just watch him. See if you see anything different going on." Nina said knowing something was wrong she just couldn't put her finger on it.


	5. Messed up Jack and Nina time

Jack moved away quickly and went back to the room. He sat on the bed wondering how much longer he had. They knew he wasn't at the jail how could he explain it? Damn them for throwing him back like this. Damn everyone for doing this to him, why couldn't they just let him be and let him live his life. It was almost normal with the Salazars they didn't expect anything out of him other than for him to do his job well. They didn't want him to be this way or that way, just do your job. It always looked so simple when he was on the heroin too. There was no right or wrong, no expectations, no emotions, just the drug induced state where feeling anything was impossible.

With that revelation he got off the bed and walked to the bathroom to take a shower. When he finished he stood in the cold room waiting for himself to dry off enough to get back into the scrubs. He began to wish he had a towel or something to dry off with as he was starting to get cold again. He was looking at himself again in the mirror when Nina walked in again.

She heard him in the bathroom and walked in, "Jack why didn't you say something I would of gotten you a towel and some other clothes." She said staring at his beaten body.

"It's fine. I was just checking out the damage done anyways." Jack sat down on the closed toilet seat and tried to redress a few of his wounds. Except his right hand was having a hard time doing it by itself. Nina watched the struggle for a few minutes and then she went over to aid him in doing it. She took the gauze and tape away and said, "Let me." She gently dressed the different wounds and than helped him put the sling back on for his left arm.

When she finished she said, "Let me go see if I can't rummage some clothes for you to put on."

Nina found Steven who was a little bigger than Jack in both height and weight, but his clothes would fit better than James who was smaller than Jack. "Can I barrow some clothes for Jack. Flannel pants and maybe a long sleeve shirt?" She asked Steven.

"Sure you get anything from him yet?"

"No. I don't know what happened but something did." She said staring down the hallway to where Jack sat waiting.

Steven went to his room and grabbed some clothes and gave them to Nina, "Here. They'll be a little big, but I guess that's kind of good with all the damage done."

"Thanks Steven." Nina returned to Jack. Jack put the pants on and said, "I don't need the shirt. I'm going to lay back down I think." He was tired and in pain from the movement of the day.

Nina saw the pain in his eyes and felt for him. Her shoulder ached, but she was not as bad off as he was. "Ok. I'll get you something to drink and maybe some music." She said leaving him.

Jack walked over to the bed and lay down pulling the covers over himself. He lay in the bed looking at the ceiling wondering why Nina had not questioned him yet about the jail break.

Nina returned with a small radio and a bottle of Corona she remembered Jack liked that sort of beer. "Here." She handed the cold beer to him.

Jack sat up and took a long pull on it. "Thanks."

"I managed to grab this radio from the captain along with a Beatles CD."

"Thanks." Jack said drinking more of the beer, it felt nice going down his parched throat.

"Anything else?" She looked at him almost seductively.

"Yeah." Jack finished the beer already placing the bottle on the dresser. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Nina said confused wondering if he heard her in the hallway with Steven.

"I'm just really fucked up in the head right now." He said looking at the wall. "I can't get the picture of Kim's death out of my head. Nor can I get holding Teri's lifeless body in my hands out of my head." He was still staring at the ceiling. Nina thought he had an almost glazed look to his eyes. He continued, "I don't know who I am anymore or who to trust. Everyone at one point has betray me. CTU, the government, and you and yet here I am. Everyone I've loved has been killed at least that was what I thought."

Nina was about ready to ask, "What is Teri or Kim still alive?" She knew they weren't but he said at least that was what I thought.

"I hate myself. So much. Ever since the day. I look at myself in the mirror and I hate myself more than I ever hated you or anyone else. You killed my wife and unborn child. Yet a part of me still cared for you. It hurt so bad when I lost Teri not just because I lost her and my child, and my second chance, but because I lost you too. Nina I had cared for you, I was almost willing to leave Teri behind and be with you, but I felt like I owed her and Kim an attempt to work it out. I still loved her and I always will, and that hurts to. But the worse thing of it all is I still have these feelings for you. Hatred, lust, maybe even a slight caring now. And I shouldn't."

Nina didn't know what to say to this confession she hadn't expected it. She sat down on the bed in shock.

Jack continued, "I'm no longer who I use to be. I don't see me when I look in the mirror. I look at what everyone else wanted, a cold hearted killer, a once junkie, a no one."

"Jack what do you want me to say?" Nina said not knowing what to do.

"Nothing." Jack said laying down in the bed. "Nothing. There is nothing left." Jack closed his eyes and tried to drift off to sleep.

"I'm sorry." Nina thought of the only thing she could say.

Jack smiled as he lay on the bed with his eyes closed, "It's to late now."

"We need to talk." Nina decided to confront him now.

"About what?" He said still with his eyes closed.

"I know you weren't in jail those days. I checked on it."

Jack didn't act angry or shocked like she thought, "So you want to know where I was?"

"Yes. I need to know because they will find out soon and they will want answers and if I can't give them they will find them themselves."

"I was enjoying the company of one big ars man who loved beating the crap out of me even after I curled up in a ball and cried out in pain." Jack said the smiling coming off his face.

"And?" She said knowing there was more.

"Nothing." Jack opened his eyes.

"Jack they will find out about whatever you said."

"So what's your point?"

"They'll kill you."

"And your point is?" He said not betraying any emotion.

Nina looked at him and saw nothing looking back at her. She missed the emotion in his eyes she use to see. She had helped do this to him. She had helped break the only decent man she ever knew. She felt sorry for him, and seeing him in this state made her want him, she leaned in slowly and kissed him. She was shocked when she felt him kissing her back. She gently moved on top of him making sure not to put any weight on him. They kissed fiercely each needing the other. All of the sudden Jack stopped, but Nina continued on. She started to pull his pants off as she kissed him.

Jack felt her hands go to his pants and he tried to move out from under her, but her legs were blocking his exits, and she continued to kiss him. Part of his mind screaming for him to get away from her while the other enjoyed it. Nina felt him moving under her trying to weasel out she thought to herself, no you don't not after that. She was working on getting her pants off when she sat on his legs. She looked at him and his eyes were still dead, she was angry with him for not showing any emotion for the moment.

She got her pants off and lay back down holding her weight up with her arms. She began to kiss his chest passionately. She felt him erect and she smiled to herself she kissed him on the mouth mad that he was not returning it. She moved up and let him enter her. She looked into his eyes and still saw nothing. She was getting angry so she started to push roughly trying to hurt him to get something out of him. In the heat of the moment she placed her arms on his ribs putting her weight on them. Jack screamed out in pain as she pushed down on his broken ribs, he felt the bones pushing on his flesh. Nina continued on, through his pain. She removed her hands and stared down at him seeing his eyes full of pain. When she was done she got off him and lay next to him out of breath, "Sorry." She said finally.

Jack lay on the bed in pain he was trying to block it out the actions had caused him much pain both mentally and physically. Nina looked over at him an still saw the pain in his eyes. She got up and went to the bag the doctor had given them. She found the liquid Demerol and a syringe she pulled some out and walked over to Jack with the syringe. She inserted the syringe before he knew what was happening. He tried to pull his arm away as she pushed the plunger down and let the drug into his system. Jack looked at her with anger in his eyes. She knew his policy on drugs in his system after the heroin addiction and yet she still did. He felt the drug as it slowly took over his body he felt himself relax and the pain go away. Nina watched as his eyes glazed over. She wanted to get the truth out of him before they found out, they being her boss's. She sat on him again holding him down. "Jack where were you those days?"

Jack glanced up at her his eyes glazy from the drug, "I told you."

"But where?" Nina said looking at him not wanting to have to hurt him to get the answer but she needed to know.

"With a big arshole who liked to beat the crap out of me as you see."

"Where?" She said moving her hand up to his shoulder resting it gently on it showing him she would hurt him to get the answer.

"I don't know." He answered in a slurred voice the drug fully having control now.

Nina looked him in the eye and watched them fill with pain as she pushed down on his broken collar bone. Jack screamed out in pain he tried to raises his right hand to push her off but she grabbed it with her other hand and held it tightly, Jack's weak body no match for her. "Don't make me have them come in and restrain you Jack. I have to know where you were." She lifted her hand off his shoulder and she could feel him breathing heavily in pain.

Jack looked up at her and said, "So your going to hurt me too now again? What you guys didn't have enough the first time you broke me so lets break the broken Jack again, and hey why not one more time." He said his anger present.

"Where were you Jack?" She put her hand over his ribs she they both knew the pain that already caused him.

"Get off me." He said trying to push her off by thrusting, but he only caused himself more pain.

James was down the hall and he had heard Jack cry out in pain twice now. He didn't know if Nina was in the room with him so he ran down to check on him. He opened the door and saw Nina bottomless on top of Jack holding one of his right arm down while the other rested on top of his ribs. Nina noticed him enter the room and gave him a look of anger, he backed out saying, "I'm sorry I didn't know you where here."

After he left Nina went back, "Jack come on." She said rubbing her fingers gently over his broken ribs.

He glared at her, she almost laughed as he would have if he were on her end looking at his drug hazed eyes, and his obvious inability to win this time.

She pushed down lightly than harder. He screamed out again trying to move his right arm from under her grasp frantically. When she stopped he closed his eyes and she thought for a second he had passed out, but he opened them a minute later the tears of pain falling down his cheeks, almost breaking her heart.

"Please Jack tell me."

He glared still saying nothing. She grabbed his shattered fingers and squeezed them until he passed out from the pain. She got off him and got dressed again. She walked out of the room almost crying herself, she hated herself for doing this, but she had to know. She had to know what she was dealing with. If he said stuff she might have to protect him or even kill him, she wasn't sure which direction she would go. While she was outside the room tears coming down her face her cell phone rang. She answered it clearing the tears away, "Hello"


	6. Unexcpected Guest

"It does exists and he was there. They broke him." The voice said.

"How do you know?"

"I spoke with someone that works there." The voice said not wanting to give their source away.

"Do you know what information he gave away?" Nina said knowing she wouldn't get the source of the information out of the person.

"I'm not sure on that. I couldn't get it without raising some suspicion. I'm sure whatever he knew they now know." The voice answered.

"Ok Thanks." Nina hung the phone up and walked back into the room where Jack lay passed out. She looked at him not sure what to do. Usually it was simple kill him, he divulged information he never should have, but looking at him so defenseless and lost she couldn't bring herself to do it. She had made him that way, or at least she helped. She sat on the bed next to him waiting for him to wake up, she mulled over what she would do while she waited.

Jack felt himself becoming conscious, he also felt the bed sag a little as there was someone sitting on the edge he opened his eyes and saw Nina. He looked at her angrily. He noticed she looked down her eye full of sorrow. "I know where you were now. I had some sources check it out. What are you doing back Jack?" Nina asked the pain she felt in her voice.

"It was part of the deal. I was suppose to go back and get whatever information they needed."

"And?" She said upset by his betrayal even if she had done worse.

"Nothing. I didn't know what to do so I just came back. I wasn't sure what. That was what I was talking about earlier. They broke me Nina, just like you did. And I didn't know what to do. There are two people inside me and neither is Jack Bauer. Good I sound like a schizophrenic. One of them is the good guy the other the bad and neither has won yet." He looked away his eyes now full of emotional pain. "What are you going to do?" He asked.

"I don't know yet. They'll find out they always do. I guess we can deal with it than." She said looking down at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Besides the drug blocking out all the pain you caused earlier, just jim dandy." He said sarcastically.

"What was it like?"

Jack looked away not wanting to talk about it. "It wasn't fun I can tell you that. I tried to kill myself at one point, but they stopped me, and after that everything is very hazy. I just remember lying on the ground my hands behind my back and I was defenseless to even attempt blocking the endless blows. Before at least I could use my arms, but than I couldn't. I just lay there and I held out for a long as I could. Everyone has a breaking point, and it seems everyone knows how to get to mine now." Jack said bitterly.

The next few days Jack spent alone in the bedroom. Nina went to another room after that night unsure of what to do. She had Steven watching Jack for her, she knew there was no way he could escape he was lucky he could walk most the time let along swim the hundreds of miles to shore. She checked on him every day bringing food and drink to him. Once or twice they went on the deck together and looked out to the water. He was not a prisoner in his room, but he didn't want to leave either.

When they got over into Mexican territory Nina came in and told Jack. They would be in a house in about two hours she said to him. Jack just shook his head unsure of what to feel. He didn't know if he was waiting for his death or just waiting. When they reached shore the drive was very short from the pier. They walked into the house and were alone as James and Steven were staying in the house next door. There was only one bedroom and Nina had offered to sleep on the couch but Jack said it was fine.

Jack worked in the kitchen cooking a meal as she was outside on the phone with her people. They had found out and were discussing what to do next with Jack. She looked in occasionally to see him stirring the can of tamales. She wasn't going to tell him what was going on he didn't need to know. She got off the phone and went inside. "Go sit down Jack I'll finish." She said gently pushing him away. Jack sat at the diner table and waited for her to bring the food. They ate in silence. Neither wanting to talk to the other.

Jack excused himself, he cleaned his plate off and went to get into a shower. He was washing his hair with his one good arm when he heard Nina enter the bathroom. He thought this might be the end but was surprised when she got into the shower with him. He tried to avoid staring at her body, but he couldn't help it, she had a nice body she always had. She walked up to him and gently kissed him on the back of his good shoulder. She grabbed his arm and gently pulled on it to turn him around. He glanced into her eyes and saw the old Nina he knew in her.

Nina kissed him on the lips. She moved over to his ear lobe, she kissed it gently and than grabbed it in her teeth and bit it gently. A moan escaped Jack, he had always enjoyed when she did that. She moved up against him gently as to not hurt him. She felt him enter her and she felt the old craving of having him in her slowly leave her. She missed him all those years after they split. He always knew what she needed and wanted and he had never once did not satisfied her needs. When they finished in the shower they moved into the bed room. He fell to the bed with her on top of him, he cried out in pain and than continued on. They were about ready to go again when men in black came rushing into the room. Their guns pointed at the two entangled in each other.

One of the men ordered, "Get off the bed now."

Nina and Jack complied neither knew which side of the law the men came from.

The man ordered again, "Clothes where are they?"

Nina pointed to the bag on the ground she had bought them clothes at a store earlier that day.

One of the commando's went through the bag finding nothing suspicious. He threw the clothes on the bed for them.

"Get dressed."

Jack and Nina grabbed their clothes and began to dress. Jack grimaced in pain as he was quickly trying to dress. He got his pants on and noticed that Nina had bought him a T-shirt that he knew he couldn't put on without hurting himself further. He left it on the bed. The commando in charge knew very well why and did not bother with it.

"Both of you turn around."

They listened Jack heard a man approaching he saw through the mirror in the wall the man had holstered his weapon and was pulling cuffs out. The man with the cuffs behind Jack ordered, "Put your hands behind you back palms facing up."

"I can't." Jack answered knowing how much pain it would cause.

This made the commando angry. He yanked Jack's bad arm behind his back. Jack screamed out in pain, the pain causing his legs to buckle he fell to the ground. The commando kept hold of his arm as he went down and Jack screamed out in a ear drum busting scream as his bad arm was pulled up behind his back in the air. Tears were in Jack's eyes almost falling out as he sat on the ground trying to clinch his teeth and block out the pain. The commando kneeled down and pulled Jack's other arm. He looked back and said, "I'll need the plastic ones he has a cast on his arm."

One of the men handed the man a pair of plastic cuffs he slipped onto Jack's wrists. When he finished he pulled Jack up from the ground getting another scream of pain out of Jack as he pulled up on Jack's arms.

Nina was on the other side of the room restrained unable to help him. She screamed to the men, "Stop it he has a broken collar bone."

"I know." The leader of the group said. "Get them out to the vans."


	7. Getting Shot in the Back

The men escorted them out of the house into the vans. Nina found out side they were on when she saw Steven and James watching them pull her and Jack out of the house doing nothing to stop it.

Nina sat in the back of the van and looked at Jack who's face showed the pain he was in from having his arms behind his back putting needless stress on his broken collar bone. Nina asked one of the men in the back, "Could you please let his hands free. His collar bone is broken and there is no need to. . ." The man stopped her speaking by punching her in the face, "Shut up." He ordered.

Jack closed his eyes and tried to block out the pain. Every bump in the road made everything much worse. During the trip he began to believe that the driver was purposely running over bumps quickly just to cause him pain.

When they reached their destination the masked commando's pulled them out of the van. The one that grabbed Jack grabbed his broken shoulder and put his weight on it. Jack screamed out in pain and clinched his eyes close to avoid letting the tears of pain fall. "Come on." The man pulled him out of the van.

They walked the two into a room with two chairs. The sat the two in the chairs one man remained in the room with his gun trained on Nina. He knew Jack was no threat the man was to broken to worry about, he could take him out easily with a punch placed in the right spot.

After what seemed like an eternity a man entered the room. Jack had never seen him before, nor knew him from anywhere. Nina knew who he was and her heart rate increased as the fear ran through her.

"Nina. What am I going to do with you?" He said to her not even addressing Jack's presence in the room.

"What's wrong? Why in the hell did you have us brought here like this?" She asked trying to play off that she did not know why they were here.

"Nina we both know why you're here. I'm going to give you a simple choice. Either you kill him, or you both die. You choose."

"Why he didn't know enough to hurt us. And he isn't really working for them now." She tried to save Jack.

"Nina he's a man who has been broken not once, but twice. After the first time it's easy to do it again. He agreed to work as an informant for them."

"I know but he's not." Nina tried.

"But he might grow a conscience at some point and decided to help them, and I can't chance it. You have your chance to save yourself you choose. But choose quick, the deal is only good for the next hour than you both die." The man stopped addressing Nina and looked at Jack he smiled, "You are half the man I use to hear about. It's sad how far from grace you have fallen. And now you will not have to worry about falling any farther." The man smiled and left the room.

Nina was thinking about her choices. She looked over at Jack who had already accepted his fate. She couldn't accept that fate even for him, the only man she had ever cared about, as sick as that was. Three minutes later she said to the guard, "I've made my decision go get him."

The man in charge returned. He looked at Nina and she just shook her head.

"Fine two of my men will go with you and make sure it happens the right way." He said looking at her challenging her to say anything different.

Two men entered the room. One uncuffed Nina and the other roughly escorted Jack out to the van waiting for them. Nina sat in the back with Jack who didn't bother to make eye contact with her.

She moved in the moving van to kneel in front of him. She looked in his eyes and saw the look of betrayal. One more person to add to his long list, or maybe just another check mark next to her name, she thought. "I'm sorry Jack." She said kissing him gently as the van stopped. They had crossed the border into a small deserted part of the desert.

The men opened the back of the van and Nina got out helping Jack out. She grabbed a gun from one of the guards and said, "Let me do this on my own."

The guard shook his head understanding. They stood by the van and watched as Nina walked Jack a good distance away. "Kneel Jack." She ordered once she was far away enough from the van.

Jack kneeled he didn't say anything to her nor look her in the eye.

She aimed the gun at him, she knew how to do it properly, he was going to get the death of a traitor they would accept nothing less. "I'm sorry." She fired once the bullet entered Jack's back he fell to the ground with a scream of pain. She aimed again and fired the bullet collide with his rib cage taking out a chunk of the bone. She left him for dead, a painful death she hoped would quicken for him.


	8. Super Campers to the Rescue

The van drove off into the night. Nina sat in the back alone, she felt the tears coming down her face and was shocked. She wiped them away quickly before anyone saw them. She now knew how Jack felt when he lost Teri, she thought to herself. Had she loved him as much as he loved Teri? Could what they had be considered love, or just two people with great chemical attraction acting on it? Or was that love? She thought this over as the van drove back to the house. When they reached the house they stopped long enough for Nina to get out of the back. She walked to the house with her head hung. She was angry with herself and her boss for making her kill Jack.

James came out of the house to greet her and asked, "Where's Jack? What did they want with you guys?" When he noticed Jack wasn't there he shut up and looked like a sad little puppy.

"I'm sorry James." Nina said walking to the house.

James unable to control his emotions screamed at her, "How could you I thought you loved him?"

"Kid there is no love in this business. You'll learn it eventually. Whatever side you're on you have committed yourself to a world of loneliness and if you try anything different it never will work out because people will always hurt the ones you love first to get to you." She said standing at the door before she opened it. When she walked inside she could smell him, and she managed to close the door behind her before she fell on the ground sobbing. She knew what Jack was talking about when he told her how empty he felt after he had killed the person he felt was her. Her ultimate enemy was gone. Even when he was on her side she could still fight against him in a way that made sense only to them. It was all gone now, her life no longer had a ultimate purpose because she had killed it. What was bad without good? Or the yin without the yang? Nothing because you need both opposites ends of the continuum to have meaning to each side. You can't have day without night, or life without death, or joy without sorrow. None of it would have a meaning because you had nothing to compare it to.

The campers heard the gun fire and the scream of pain. The quickly hid as if the people could see them from their camping area. When the van left the man ran quickly to where he thought he saw the woman leaving. He tripped over the injured person hearing a groan of pain escaping the man. He pulled his flashlight out, he was to worried that the people might return and see the light and know there were witnesses. He shined the light on the man and saw the two bullet holes in the mans back. He quickly pulled his shirt off ripping it in half he applied pressure to both wounds causing the man to scream out in pain.

His wife joined him a few minutes later trailing behind in the dead sprint to the man. He saw her and said, "Honey I need you to keep these here. Put as much pressure on them as you can. He's going to cry out in pain, but you need to apply pressure or he might die. I need to turn him on his side to see if the bullets exited."

His wife pushed on the mans back as he slowly turned him onto his side. He didn't see an exit wound for the highest hole. He did see a exit wound and blood bubbles from the bullet wound to the mans rib cage. He silently cussed to himself, the mans lung had collapsed. He tried to think back to his medical school days. He had never had to fix a sever collapse like this without surgery, but if he didn't fix it now the man would die. The man was already struggling to breath. Than he remembered looking at his wife, "Where are your needles?"

"For my insulin?"

"Yes." He said excited.

"In the car."

"I'll be back with the car." He yelled back while running again at a dead sprint, "Keep the pressure on those wounds and keep him turned on his side."

The woman held on tight to the man she didn't even know, pushing on the wounds as hard as she could even as her hands began to cramp. The man had passed out a long time ago and stopped screaming out in pain. She felt the warm blood warming her sweaty cold palms.

She saw their car come speeding through the sand. Her husband stopped a few feet away from them and got out with one of her needles in his hand, a knife, and some duct tape. He ran over to them and said, "Help me push him onto his stomach."

The struggled to move Jack onto his stomach. The man cut the cuffs free and than moved him back on to his back. "Hold his head up I don't want him to choke on blood. I know there is some internal bleeding but we have to get him breathing right again or he'll die before we can even think about getting him to the hospital." He broke the plastic plunger/liquid holding area off the needle. He aimed for where he thought the lung was collapsed and plunged the needle in. He heard the air hiss out of the needle. He quickly taped up the needle so it would stay stuck in the man, and than had turned the man on his side having his wife hold him as he moved around to block of the hole in his rib cage with duck tape. He quickly rolled the duct tape around the hole hoping to make it close to air tight. When he finished he struggled to pull the man to the back seat of the car, he knew he had to get the man to a hospital and an ambulance would take to long if they could find them, and that was if they could call for one. "Honey I need you to drive fast. We need to get him to the hospital and it's twenty miles away. Drive as fast as you can. I'm going to stay in the back and try to keep him alive during the ride. Can you do this?" He asked her.

"Yes." She said not very confident but ready to try for the stranger. She took off through the desert when she reached the rode she increased her speed to a hundred. She turned the bights on the car so that she could see the road at the speed she was going a slight pot hole could send them into a tail spin.

She was doing fine until she saw the lights of a cop car and the sirens behind them. She didn't know what to do keep going or stop. She decided to keep going until the cop ran along the side of them threatening to ram them. She slammed on her breaks before he did, she knew that might cause the injured man problems in the back. The cop commanded her to get out of the car. When she did he pulled his gun seeing her covered in blood. "Sir we got a man in the back. He's been shot. We found him we were out camping."

"Lay on the ground and cross your legs and put your hands on your head." The cop commanded. The woman followed his orders hoping he would at least look in the back. The cop cautiously approached the door as he saw one man in the back. When he looked in the back seat he saw the other man and blood.

"get up ma'am." He said knowing this was not the time to get to the bottom of things. "Follow me." He ran back to his car and got in front of her car. He drove them at a hundred and ten all the way to the hospital with the sirens and lights on.

When they reached the hospital the doctors were already outside ready for them, the cop had called it in. They unloaded Jack from the back of the car. The man that had helped him originally giving them a general overview of how the man was, and what he had done to help. The took Jack quickly into the emergency surgery room. Pulling out the needle they stuck a ventilator in him, IV's and prepped him for the emergency surgery he would undergo there. They turned him over and began to work on the worse of the two wounds. The one where the bullet had not exited. They worked frantically against time as the man was leaking a lot of blood, and there had been a great amount of damage.

A nurse ran into the room with blood to start pumping into the man. They everyone was working around him frantically trying to stop the blood loose. "We're gong to loose him hurry up and fix the leak." One of the doctors called out.

"Give me a minute."

"He's crashing. Come on."

"Give me a minute."

"He's flat lined." There was no reason to say it they could hear the annoying sound of the machine. The quickly flipped the man and started to shock him. After two shocks they had a faint line back. The flipped him quickly and the doctor finally got the blood lost to stop. He couldn't' find the bullet and assumed it was fine to patch the man up to go into x-rays to find where the bullet had logged itself.


	9. Finger Prints

Once they had the man close enough to stable the rushed him to get all the scans they needed.

The cop was out in the waiting room with the couple trying to figure out what had happened, "So you say you say him and a man exit a van."

"Yes the light from the back illuminated them. Than I saw her march him away from them. I saw in the moonlight. I didn't know what was going on, but I was sure to stay quiet. Than I heard the two gun shots. I ducked quickly behind the rock, I didn't want them to see me. I'm sure they didn't want any witnesses. After I saw the van leave I ran to check on the man. We found him with two bullet wounds. I used my medical training."

"You're a doctor?" The cop interrupted him.

"Yes. I worked on him and tried to stabilize him good enough to get him to the hospital. You stopped us on our way there."

"Do you have any idea who the man is?"

"No. I've never seen him before. But I wouldn't be putting this out there. They wanted him dead; they assumed they left him for dead. If the people who did this find out they might come back to finish it off. It's not like it would be hard to find, they'd have to look for a John Doe with multiple gunshot wounds to the back and they'd find it easily."

"I know." The cop said, "Are you going to wait around I might have more questions?"

"Yes." The man said looking at himself covered in blood.

A nurse walked up to them and said, "I got some clean scrubs for you and your wife sir. Since you'll be waiting around I thought you might want to change."

"Thank you ma'am. Please let me know as soon as they have any information on him."

"Yes sir."

The doctor studied the scan. The bullet had not hit Jack's vertebra nor his spinal cord. It went in diagonally hitting the top of his shoulder blade and traveling down into his sternum missing the back bone. He had ordered the man to be prepped for surgery again. This time they would remove the bullet and fix the damage done to the rib cage, and collapsed lung.

After hours of surgery, multiple blood transfusions, and a few Blues Travelers songs (the music the doctors were listening to as they did the surgery.) The doctor put the last stitch into Jack. They had some minor problems with the lung that had collapsed and had to use a blue to fix a small tear in the lung. The doctor looked over all of his work and said, "Get the man transported to intensive care. Probably should have someone look over all the old damage on him."

"Yes doctor." The assisting nurse answered.

The room cleared out and the orderlies came to move the patient who's chart simply had no name at the time, to the intensive care unit.

Out in the waiting room the couple and the cop waited to hear about the stranger. A nurse came out and simply said, "He is out of surgery, and in the intensive care unit."

"Is he awake yet?" The cop asked hoping he would be so he could get some information out of him.

"He probably won't be awake for a few days. The doctor has ordered a lot of painkillers for him, and he would like to keep the patient unconscious while his weak body tries to heal."

"Can I at least get his finger print?" The cop asked determined to get identification on the stranger so that he could proceed with the investigation.

"Sure. It would help us to know who he was." She smiled.

"There will be someone back for them." He said knowing he didn't have the capability to do it.

"Of course sir." The nurse said.

Everyone left with a story to tell to their friends at breakfast or over dinner the next day. The couple asked the cop once they were outside, "Is there any way once you get his name you could tell us. I would like to check on him occasional while he is recovering to make sure everything is fine."

"Sure." The cop answered shaking the mans hand and leaving to go back to work.

As promised a man came to the intensive care unit desk about an hour later. "I'm here to finger print the man who was brought in earlier. I guess the John Doe."

"Yes sir." The nurse said, "May I see some identification."

The man pulled out his wallet and showed her his badge from the crime scene investigation unit he worked with.

"Follow me please Mr. Zelda." The nurse led him to the small room in which Jack rested in a drug induced slumber. She didn't leave the room while he was in there, for some reason she felt the need to protect the poor man in the room. She knew nothing about him, but she could tell he had suffered a lot the past few days.

Mr. Zelda pulled out the finger print kit out of the tackle box he carried. He quickly took the prints on Jack's right hand, carefully as to not injure the man. When he finished he thanked the nurse and left.


	10. It's Jack

After about twenty minutes of running the print through the computer he got a match. Jack Bauer, was the mans name. He called the hospital and informed them of the name, and than called CTU where the print originated from.

Michelle had been working a long day when she was getting ready to finally leave for home her desk phone rang. She reluctantly answered it, "CTU Michelle Almeida."

"Uhm. Ms. Almeida, I have a John Doe down here I thought you might be interested in."

Michelle looked at the phone number to see the call was originating from southern California. "Ok. Have you ran his prints yet?"

"Yes. His name is Jack Bauer. The print originated from your system and it would be real nice if you could send any information on him possible."

Michelle almost dropped the phone when she heard the name, she finally gave a crap, "Is he?" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence she didn't know what happened after the day he left CTU nor the time of his escape but she was worried for him even if he had betray them.

"He's alive. He's in the intensive care unit at Saint Andrews down here."

"What happened?" Michelle asked.

The man could tell by the woman's voice this was more than an investigative interest she had cared for the man, "He was picked up by two campers. Seems someone shot him twice and left him for dead."

Michelle put a hand over her mouth she hoped it wasn't her side of the law that did it, but she wouldn't put it past them. "Do you have guards on the room yet?"

"he's not a flight risk." The man said thinking she was worried Jack would escpae.

"That's not the problem. The people will find out and they will be back down to finish the job."

"I'll have guards posted outside the door and at the entrance of the intensive care unit." He said seeing what she was getting at finally.

"Thank you. I will have two of my people down there before tomorrow morning. Is he going to be ok? I mean is it sure he'll live?"

"Uhm. I'm not sure but by the way he looked I wouldn't be sure about anything ma'am."

"Thanks." Michelle said hanging up her phone. She picked back up and called Tony's cell phone. He was suppose to be picking up supper. She was still angry with him because he wouldn't tell her where he had been those few days he was away, nor did he talk to her that much. She could see the look of guilt in his eyes, but she didn't know what for. "Tony."

"Is everything ok Michelle?" Tony said once he heard her call his name over the phone almost frantic.

"We got a hit on Jack." She said.

"What?"

"The police in a small town by the boarder had a John Doe come in earlier and they did a finger print match and it was Jack."

"Is he."

"Yes he's in bad shape I guess."

Tony closed his eye thinking, yeah that would be right he was bad off when he left us. "Did you get them to put guard out."

"Yes. I want you and Chase to go down there. You two know him the best and I think it would be nice to have a few friendly faces when he comes around and you can try to figure out what happened."

"Sure." Tony said trying to decided whether to contact Palmer and Kate and let them know what had happened.

"Well get going I'll see you at home before you leave."

"Bye." Tony said hanging up his phone. He quickly dialed Kate's number, he figured she'd be home.

"Hello." He heard Kate's voice.

"Did you do that to him?"

"What? What's wrong Tony? Who's him?"

"Jack. He's in the intensive care unit."

"NO!" Kate said seemingly worried.

"Chase and I are going down to check it out. I thought you'd like to know."

"I'll be down there with a few of my people also."

"Can't you just leave him alone?"

"You know we can't Tony."


	11. Wouldn't be the first time

A resident doctor walked into Jack's room and finally started to look at and tend to the other wounds the man had suffered. He noticed most of them had already been tended to. From the x-rays they took to find where the bullet was lodge he noticed the broken collar bone had been pulled out of place again. He quickly fixed back into place trying not to rip the stitches out in the back or the shoulder. When he finished he marked on the chart what he did and left the man in the room asleep. He noticed the guards outside the room and outside the doors of the unit and began to wonder exactly what was going on.

Once Kate was off the phone with Tony and out to her car she called David Palmer, "Sir it's Kate."

"What is it that is so important this late at night?"

"They found Jack sir."

"They who."

"CTU."

"And?"

"I guess he's in the intensive care unit at a hospital down south."

"What happened?"

"I don't know sir I'm calling in all my contacts now."

"Fine. Get me a report in the morning on his condition so that I can make a recommendation as to where to proceed with his case."

"What if he can't do the job sir?"

"Than he'll enjoy spending the rest of his life in prison." Palmer said in a cold tone.

It took Tony and Chase three hours to get to the hospital were Jack was at. When they walked in they showed their badges to the nurse at the reception desk and she escorted them to the intensive care unit, where they again had to show identification. They were than led to Jack's room.

Chase looked in and saw all the bruises on Jack and the breathing machine. He bit his lip in an attempt to hide his anger. "Do you know who did this to him? I thought they just shot him, he's be beaten to hell too."

"They did just shoot him." Tony said closing his eyes trying to keep Chase from seeing the guilt he felt.

"Why do you think they shot him?" Chase asked not noticing Tony's reactions.

"I haven't a clue." Tony lied he had an idea, but Chase was not one to need to know it. Tony saw Kate and them walk in and Tony said, "Why don't you go get us a hotel. We can take shifts till he wakes up. You can have the first shift."

Chase looked at Tony for a second and than he saw Kate come in with a really big guy and another average size man. "What's Kate doing here?" Chase asked confused.

"It's nothing. Go get a hotel room for us somewhere close and sleep some because in the morning you are going to be the one watching him."

"Sure." Chase left Tony still confused as to why Kate Warner would be down, she and Jack had broken up a long time ago, and it wasn't like she really should see Jack, as she was a civilian.

After Chase left Kate walked up to Tony, "Wish I could say it was nice to see you again. You can go back to CTU now, we can handle the rest."

"You must think I'm an evil ba$tard. I am a ba$tard but not an evil ba$tard. I'm not leaving him alone with you people again. I would not be the least bit surprised if it came to light that you had tipped them off about what you had him doing because you saw something bigger and better. And if not than your people are pretty incompetent because they should have covered their tracks better, and in that case I'm not leaving his security up to you because your people quite frankly suck." Tony said in a hushed whisper.

"I can have you escorted out of here right now." Kate said not backing down to him.

"Do it. I dare you than let me go tell everyone about your lovely job. What you did to him not once but twice. Let's see what the American public thinks of that."

"Than you'll be put in jail for treason."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Tony said challenging her to throw him out.

"Fine you can stay, just don't get in the way. We have to get answers."

"Well you minds as well sit down and wait because I don't think he'll be talking any time soon." Tony said moving out of the doorway to give Kate her first real glance at the damage done to Jack.

Kate showed no emotion when she saw him hooked up to the various machines, but inside she was worried for her once lover.

The doctor came and briefed Kate and Tony on Jack's condition. He left them to discuss whatever they had to discuss among themselves.

Kate's henchmen sat outside the room waiting their order. Kate looked at Jack and ordered, "Grant, restrain him to the bed. His right arm and legs will do it."

"What are you doing Kate, if he wakes up he's not going to be able to move."

"You never know with Jack."

"LOOK AT HIM KATE" Tony yelled loosing his temper, "Look at him how in the hell is he going to walk. Please let me know he has over a twenty stitches and staples in his back, his lung collapsed, and he has a chunk of his rib cage missing. Please how in the hell could he move without pain let alone walk on his own?"

"Fine." Kate said giving in she knew it was over cautious but she had already screwed things up once and she wasn't going to do it twice. "But Grant stays here with him."

Grant was the huge arshole of a man that kept Jack company at the place that does not exists. (YES HE GOT A NAME FINALLY RAN OUT OF WAYS TO SAY HUGE ARS MAN)

"That's just a great idea so when Jack finally does wake up the person he sees is this arshole." Tony said looking back at Grant. "Great I think if that was the first face I saw even just waking up in the morning I'd probably close my eyes again and pray for death."

"Tony stop it." Kate said angry he was being so childish. "You and Chase can stay in the room with him if you wish."

"Fine." Tony said, "Oh and thanks for letting us 'stay' with him." Tony said sarcastically as if they would do anything else. Tony sat in a chair by Jacks bed feeling the fatigue overtake him. Kate left the room to find a doctor and discuss when they could move Jack at the earliest.

Grant took the only other chair in the room and watched Tony as if at any moment he would pull a gun out and shoot everyone in the room. Tony felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He knew he wasn't suppose to have it on in the hospital especially in the intensive care unit, but Michelle was suppose to call him with any more information she might have gotten and she also wanted to know Jack's status.

"Hey baby." Tony said into the phone glancing at Grant who was watching him even closer now.

"Tony how bad is he?"

"I think it looks worse than what it is. He should be fine you know Jack always the fighter." Tony smiled at the happy memories of the past.

"How much can one man go through." Michelle said to herself.

Tony wanted to ask if she got any more information on Jack, but he knew the arshole was eavesdropping so he asked, "You know that cause I was working on earlier before I left."

Michelle thought, he was getting super before he left not working on anything, "Is someone listening in." She said figuring what Tony wanted.

"Yeah that one. Did any more information come up on it?"

"No I haven't gotten anymore. What the cop told me is pretty much everything we know."

"Ok. Well if you get anything else patch it through Milo he can work the case out."

Michelle almost laughed on the other end, Milo hadn't worked for CTU in quite some time. He had been there when Michelle first started and left shortly after. But she knew Tony was just telling her to give him any information via his secure email account. "Do you have a lab top on you?" She asked.

"Chase has the laptop." Tony said smiling because he knew Michelle knew what he wanted.

"Be careful Tony, and watch out for Jack."

"I will. Bye baby." Tony said into the phone before he hung it up. When he put the phone back in his pocket he looked over at Grant who tried to act as if he weren't listening and Tony smiled and said, "It's the old lady what can I say she can't go a day without me."

Grant grunted and went back on his vigil of Jack. He was determined to see any slight movement.


	12. Wakie Wakie Jackie

A week went by with no change on Jacks condition. Michelle had come down on her day off to surprise Tony. She walked into the hospital and showed her badge to the people guarding ICU and they let her in. It was easy to find Jack's room because she could hear a fight going on inside between Tony and a woman who's voice she didn't recognize at first.

Michelle walked into the room and saw Jack who still had the breathing machine hooked up to him. She looked over all of the visible bruises and she said, "I thought they just shot him."

Tony noticed Michelle in the room as did Kate. "They did." Tony answered looking at his wife in shock.

"He has to much damage to just have been shot." Michelle walked over to Jack and looked him over closely she could notice a lot of the bruises were older as they were already starting to heal over it had to of been more than a week since the damage was done. "Who did this to him?"

"Nina's people." Tony lied knowing she meant the beating.

"Tony Almeida don't you lie to me." Michelle said turning to him clearly angry with him.

Kate interrupted, "Michelle what are you doing down here?"

Michelle turned to face her, "I was going to ask you the same. But I think I figured it out." Michelle turned back to Tony, "You helped them didn't you." She said thinking she knew what they had done to Jack.

Tony looked down the guilt to hard to bear.

"You lied to me Tony. You deceived me." She walked out of the room angry.

The doctor entered a few minutes later and Kate ordered, "Take him off the machine."

"I was just going to do a quick trial run to see if his lung was able to support itself now."

"Take him off completely." Kate said glancing at him. That was what her and Tony had been fighting about. She wanted Jack off the machine and off the drugs they had him that kept him asleep.

The doctor complied. He gently pulled out the breathing tube and turned the machine off. He watched the monitor that kept track of Jack's respiration rate and heart rate. He was relieved when the man started to breath on his own without any major difficulties that had been detected so far. The doctor was getting ready to leave when Kate stopped him, "I said everything. That includes the IV."

"Ms if he wakes up he's going to be in a great amount of pain. I can take the medicine back some, but not all the way. He will wake up, and be disoriented but he'll be awake." The doctor tried to compromise.

"No everything. And we are moving him tomorrow." Kate said to Tony's surprise. Tony went to argue again and Kate said, "CTU has no jurisdiction here so keep your mouth shut or I will have you removed. If you even attempt to speak to the press in any way you will pay." She said threateningly. Palmer had told her to use any means necessary to keep Tony at bay and that meant using his wife if need be.

Tony glared at her knowing after what he saw happen to Jack to what extent they would go to keep people the way they wanted them. Tony sat down and stayed quiet the rest of the time. He watched as the doctor reluctantly pulled the IV's out of Jack. Tony closed his eyes and felt himself slowly fall asleep, he couldn't stand the people in the room anymore.

Tony jumped up when he heard a slight pain scream come out of Jack. He opened his eyes sure that the big muscled geek was hurting Jack. But the man sat in the chair and looked at Jack the same way Tony did, with worry. Tony got up and quickly walked over to Jack's bed side. He saw that Jack's eyes were still closed even if he had called out in pain. His heart rate was up and so was his respiration. Tony worried because he knew this was not a great time for Jack to be breathing quickly because his lung was still weak. He noticed the sweat coming down Jack's face and he felt like an even worse arshole. Tony went out to find the doctor to let them know what was happening the doctor politely told Tony, "Get use to it. He'll probably be awake within the hour and in a lot of pain. I can't do anything about it because your lady friend."

Tony interrupted him, "she's not my friend."

"Fine the lady that outranks you decided to take him off all of the pain killers. He will not be the happiest camper for awhile."

"Thanks anyways." Tony said returning to the room not wanting to leave Jack alone to long. When he walked in he noticed Jack's eyes were opened, and he was looking around the room. Tony noticed the look of defeat cross Jack's face when he saw the big arshole from before. Tony walked up next to him and he got the same look, it hurt Tony to see Jack look at him that way. "Hey Jack. How are you feeling?"

Jack didn't answer him he just closed his eyes, he wasn't asleep but this was his best way of ignoring the men in his room. Tony left the room again to tell the doctor that Jack was awake.

The doctor came in with two nurses. "If you two would please step outside of the room I need to examine Mr. Bauer."

Grant went to refute the doctors request, but Tony grabbed his arm and pulled him out. "There aren't any windows in the room and unless Jack turned into the incredible Hulk recently I think it's safe to say he won't be leaving the room anytime soon." Tony told the man who glared at him in the hallway.

The doctor asked Jack, "How are you feeling? I know you're in pain, but some a Kate Warner has ordered you off the medication we had you on."

Jack tried to talk but his throat was too dry. The doctor noticed this and sent one of the nurses out for some water. "Jack we are going to lift you up. I need your help it's going to hurt some but I need to check the stitches and staples in your back. You do know why you're here?" The doctor asked worried.

Jack shook his head. He slowly sat up the nurse helping him. Jack tried not to call out in pain as he moved. It felt like he had a hundred pounds on his chest the way he slowly sat up.

The doctor examined the stitches and staples in Jack's back. He than said, "I'm going to listen to your lungs. I need you to take a deep breath when I put the stethoscope you your back."

The doctor put the cold metal to his back and Jack took a deep breath that was immediately let out with a cry of pain.

"Ok Jack. That was good. Just one more time take normal breaths if need be." The doctor said worried of hurting him any more.

Jack took a few normal breaths and felt the cold metal leave his back. "You can lay back down now." The nurse returned with the water. She put the straw in Jack's mouth and he drank half the cup before he was finished.

"So how are you feeling any unusual pains?"

"No." Jack said in a cracked feeble voice.

"That's good than." The doctor smiled at him. "They'll be moving you soon. I don't know where. I tried to fight them, but I couldn't win." He let the patient know. He had been warned about how dangerous the man could be but he had been nice so far.

"Thank you doctor." Jack said with a slight sad smile.

"You should rest, but I doubt" The doctor looked out to the hallway, "They'll let you."

The doctor left with the nurses and Tony and Grant came in. While in the hallway Grant called Kate to let her know Jack was awake. She told him to get him prepped to leave they were heading back to L.A. that night.

Grant walked in the room and smiled at Jack, an evil sadistic smile that almost said, "Your mine biotch."

Jack smiled back conveying with his eyes, "And I care because?"

Tony noticed it and almost laughed at Jack's look. Same old Jack, just different. "So what happened Jack?" Tony finally asked.

Jack looked at Tony and saw worry in his eyes, "Well they found out. You stupid arsholes didn't cover your tracks good enough and they found out. I tried to play it off that I wasn't going to help you but it didn't really matter." Jack said in his weak voice.

Kate came in when he finished and smiled at him. "Welcome back Jack."

"Fu(k you Kate." Jack said. It sounded funny coming from such a weak voice.

"Ok all pleasantries aside. Get him ready to go. We leave in ten." Kate said throwing some clothes to Grant.

"I'll do it." Tony said knowing Grant would be anything but helpful. They both watched as Jack slowly put the button on shirt on scrunching his forehead and biting his lip in pain. Once the shirt was one Tony helped him out of the bed. Jack had most of his weight on Tony, but he could already feel the staples and stitches in his back ripping. He quickly changed out of the scrub pants he had been put in, into a pair of black slacks. Kate pushed the wheel chair over towards Tony who grabbed it with his free hand and helped Jack into the chair. He smiled at Jack trying to be reassuring.

Kate walked over to the door and Grant took the wheel chair from Tony. He pushed Jack through the hall, once they were at the end of the hall he stopped and grabbed Jacks good arm and cuffed it to one of his own hands. Jack shook his head, as if he could escape he thought to himself. Kate signed the papers to have Jack released to her custody.

As they pushed Jack out he couldn't but help a nurse who looked exactly like Nina. She smiled at him, it was Nina alright. He glared back at her and entertained the idea of pointing her out to take all of the heat of himself, but he just closed his mouth and looked ahead forgetting she was there. He was not going to lower himself to that level. He had lost enough of his honor already no need to freely give it away. When they reached the car the big ars hole helped Jack out of the chair and into the back. Jack sat in the back and closed his eyes as a wave of pain and nausea overcame him. He opened them again to feel the car take off. Every little bump in the rode hurt, and so did sitting back. He was quiet through the ride. Halfway there he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Kate watched from the passenger seat. She wasn't sure how to feel or what to feel. She cared for him a great deal, and hated to see him like this but she had a job. She remembered not to long ago he was willing to give her up to that terrorist to save the country. In a way that was what she was doing, giving him to the government that destroyed him to help the government destroy the enemies that would try to destroy them.


	13. Back to the building

Hours later they returned to the nondescript office building they had held him in before. He was again helped out and put into a wheel chair. The doctor had made it clear that he should not move too much, and he absolutely should not be up and walking anytime soon. They wheeled him into the building. The big man finally uncuffed Jack's wrist as they got onto the elevator. No one spoke the entire way up. Jack's mind was trying to figure out exactly what they would do here with him now.

The man pushed Jack off the elevator and down the hall, that looked familiar to Jack, though the last time he had been dragged down it, he was in immense pain, almost like now but he was being pushed this time.

He pushed Jack into an empty conference room and left him alone. Jack heard the door lock as soon as it closed. Great he thought to himself, could things get any better. He was sure they didn't bring him here to say sorry, and make everything better.

After what seemed like forever David Palmer, Kate Warner, and Brad Hammond walked into the room. Jack's shock registered on his pain ridden face when he saw Brad. "Hello Jack. It's nice to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same Brad." Jack said easily slipping into his old ways. He noticed this slight change and wondered what that meant.

"We need you to answer a few questions Jack." Palmer said after clearing his throat. Jack's big friend walked into the room and leaned against the wall behind Jack.

"Sure if you answer a few of my questions."

"Depending on them we can attempt to answer them." David said seeing that Jack was going to be more civil than last time he would act in kind. "First question. Do you know the doctor who tended to you when you went back?"

"No. Someone they knew. He has a clinic and works at a hospital which I don't know. You'll have to excuse me I wasn't in the best shape." Jack said bitterly. His new self easily taking over.

"You brought it all on yourself Jack. All you had to do was answer our questions." David said all innocently.

Jack lost it, he almost stood up in protest, but his mind told him to stay in the chair because it would hurt to much to stand, his anger took over and he spoke quickly, "If you hadn't betray me maybe I would have been more cooperative. You left me there to die. You knew where I was at, you also knew what they were doing. I wouldn't be surprised if somehow you had set everything up. If you hadn't been the one to help Nina escapes CTU or make it look as if I had captured her so she could easily move in the United States. I wouldn't be surprise if the last few horrendous years hadn't been all some sort of sick plan." Jack said thinking that he might be onto something here.

Palmer just smiled at him, "You still could have answered our questions."

"And betray the people who had been upfront with me." He said glaring at Palmer he felt his respiration rate increase as his heart increased from the adrenalin going through his body. He grimaced in pain as he was trying to slow his breaths as they were causing him pain.

"Calm down Jack you don't need to go hurting yourself over something so trivial."

"Yes my life is trivial to you."

"Your life compared to millions yes."

Jack finally said what he had been thinking for quiet a few years, "You knew all about Nightfall and you had been the one to set it up to fail didn't you. I was suppose to die with my men, but I ruined whatever plan you concocted when I survived didn't I?" Jack said his mind clear.

"Jack you are paranoid." Palmer said acting as if the notion was ridiculous. "You are a traitor to your country Jack, a paranoid one at that with a vivid imagination."

"You can't be a traitor if they betray you first." Jack said calmly.

"Well I guess will have to let the tribunal decide on that." Palmer challenged further.

"Ok so you don't know the doctor what happened while you were away?"

Jack relayed all the events from his relationship with Nina, to the men in black, to when he woke up in the hospital. He left not a single detail out. He didn't care anymore.

"So they found out through a source any idea who this source is?"

"No she didn't trust me from the get go." He said flatly.

"Jack do you know where you were the house?" Hammond asked kindly.

"No. We took the boat down like I said and I don't know where we went to shore. The house was right off the beach. I didn't stay there long."

"That's good enough Jack. I can have Adam look around that area." Hammond said smiling at Jack.

"Anything else?" Jack asked looking around to everyone in the room.

"Not that I can think of now. Grant go ahead and take him to the room."

Jack tensed slightly he knew the big ars dudes name now. A part of him screamed for vengeance while another told him to keep his mouth shut and just go through with it.

Grant wheeled Jack back to the room he had stayed in during his previous visit. Jack was noticeably uncomfortable entering the room. He had no good memories of the room. He left jack in the wheel chair not caring to help him any further.

Jack sat in the chair unsure of his ability to move. He waited he knew Palmer would be down soon. He had been to smooth in the interrogation to let Jack continue on with the accusations, and that told Jack that he was right on something, or everything for that matter.

He was almost shocked when both Palmer and Hammond walked in. Hammond smiled kindly at Jack again, "I had one more question Jack if you don't mind answering." Hammond looked around the room and than to Palmer, "You are not seriously thinking about keeping him in here. There is blood all over the place, and look at that mattress the man was sot in the back there is no way he could even lay on that without inflicting some sort of pain."

"It's ok Brad. It's my blood anyways." Jack said smiling at Palmer.

"Oh. Still the point is you have better places either move him or I'll talk to the higher ups and get him moved somewhere else."

"You do what you have to do Brad." Palmer said glaring at Jack.

"You had a questioned?" Jack asked bringing him back to why they were there.

"Oh yes." Brad paused to think of it, "You said that a man talked to you and Nina after the grabbed you out of the house."

"Yes. I didn't seem him real well. I was sort of in a painful position." Jack said trying to picture the face, "I think if I saw a picture I might be able to identify him, but I'm not a hundred percent sure."

"That's great. I'll see if we can't get Tony over with some shots and maybe a computer program to help you draw the face if you don't see it." Hammond said feeling like they were going somewhere.

Jack was still visibly in pain, but he was getting used to it. He stared at the two men in the room. Palmer finally made his decision. "We can move him next door."

"Good." Hammond said walking over behind Jack and pushing him into the room next door.

When they wheeled Jack next door to the room Tony had been staying in. Jack saw the window and was amazed by it and shocked at the same time that he had not noticed it before. Hammond was kind enough to help him onto the bed and they left him. Jack laid on the bed the pain numbing his mind that was trying to over think everything. He tried to fight off the exhaustion he felt but he couldn't his body was much too weak, and his mind was much to exhausted. He closed his eyes and went into a nice slumber.


	14. The Trial

Jack was woken the next morning when he heard the door unlock and open. He slowly sat up. He closed his eyes as he moved the pain much worse than the day before. He saw the guy he now knew as Grant and Palmer walk into the room. For a second Jack thought to himself, _'Oh Sh!t'_. He had said stuff he knew some of it had to be true and what was the best way to shut up someone, and he knew he was in no shape to fight anyone.

"How are you feeling today Jack?" Palmer asked kindly.

"Like I was shot in the back twice, had the crap beat out of me, and shot again." He said with a slight smile coming to his face to show them that he was not worried.

"Well I wonder why you would feel like that?" Grant asked from the door getting a dirty look from Palmer for speaking up before he should have.

Jack noticed this and made a little mental note to himself. "is that all you wanted?" Jack asked

"No I need to talk to you about something. Grant wait outside." Palmer said looking back at Grant.

"Yes sir." Grant said trying to get back in the good graces of Palmer.

Once Grant was outside and the door closed Palmer walked over to Jack and asked, "Where did you get your information from?"

"What information?" Jack asked acting confused.

"You know what information I'm talking about Jack. I want to know who is spreading the lies about me."

"I haven't a clue what you are talking about."

"Fine play it that way Jack." Palmer walked to the door and knocked on it. Grant opened the door, "Come back in."

Grant walked in the room and waited for further order.

"Get him to his feet." Palmer ordered.

"But sir he shouldn't be standing."

"DO IT." Palmer screamed at him.

Grant walked over and helped Jack off the bed to his feet. Grant was trying to help hold most of Jack's weight up without hurting him further, but he had to hold something and it was either Jack's broken shoulder or the one with the stitches in it, and either way Jack would feel pain. Jack felt the stitches pulling as he tried to put as little weight on his bad side.

Palmer walked up to him and looked him in the eye, "Where did you get the information Jack?"

"What information?" Jack asked.

Palmer hit Jack in the lower ribcage. Jack's legs buckled from under him as it sent immense pain through his body. He cried out in pain as Grant held him up by under his arms. Jack felt the stitches rip open on his right shoulder and blood began to leak down his back.

"Do you really think they are going to believe a traitor? Do you really think they are going to take your word over mine?"

"Why not you're a traitor to your country. You were long before you were President. You are a traitor to anyone who ever believed in you. You betray yourself, and everyone else."

Palmer punched Jack again this time hitting where he knew Jack had been shot. Jack screamed in pain, as more blood leaked out of his body. He felt the pain and tried to slow his breathing to help lower the pain some, but he couldn't.

Palmer grabbed Jack's hair and pulled his head up, "Now listen to me for your own good Jack, I can make your death very painful or very easy or maybe not at all, but you keep sprouting those lies about me and you will die."

Jack swallowed hard spasms of pain ran through his body. He shook his head slowly unable to speak because of the pain he felt, he would be docile for now.

"Good your getting moved to a class three detention center. Your trial starts tomorrow morning." Palmer said as he motioned for Grant to drop Jack.

Grant slowly lowered Jack to the ground he did not want to hurt the man worse. He didn't like the man, but no one deserved this much pain. He had his limit to how much pain he would inflict into someone, and Jack had done nothing wrong this time to deserve it.

Palmer walked out of the room and two more people came in to assist Grant in moving Jack. Grant loaded Jack into the wheel chair with the help of one of the men. The other took the wheel chair and wheeled Jack out. Jacks mind was somewhere else and he never knew he was actually moving.

The prison was not to far from the building and the entire trip Grant kept a vigil on Jack hoping that Palmer had not done enough damage to cause Jack's lung to collapse again. Grant knew if Jack died, he would be the one to take the blame even if he tried to prove it wasn't him.

When they got to the detention center the guards were already outside waiting for them. The place was in the same fashion as the prison that housed Victor Drazen. When one of the guards saw Jack they asked, "What happened to him?"

One of the men with Grant repeated what Palmer told him to say, "He tried to escape. You have a doctor right?"

"Yeah we'll take him there." The guard said taking Jack away. Once they got inside they wheeled him quickly into the doctor. Jack's shirt was covered in blood on both sides. The doctor cut the shirt off and bandages and re-stitched everything that had been broken open. He sedated Jack first and when he finished Jack was still to out of it for him to worry about any pain yet the man might feel. The guards wheeled Jack to his cell and put him inside.

They cell was nothing special. It had a toilet with a sink next to it. The bed was a metal frame hanging from the wall. They put Jack on the hard metal frame and he cried out in pain as they moved him. The guards smiled they knew what the man had done, and did not care about any pain he might have felt.

Word had gotten around the prison about who they now had as a guest. All together they had ten guest, they were not equipped to hold a large population nor did they need to. They were a top secret facility that the people who were going to disappear off the face of the earth came too.

Jack slowly came around and looked around his surroundings he knew it would hurt too much to sit up. As he lay there on the hard metal frame that was causing him pain he felt his stomach start to growl he couldn't remember the last time he ate. He heard people walking by outside he couldn't see out the metal door but there was a small slot in it. He heard it open and a pair of eyes looked in on him. The slot closed again and a larger one opened on the bottom. A tray of food was slid on it. Jack almost laughed he was starving yet he had no way to get to the food. It looked bad, but that didn't matter it was food.

A little while the slot opened again and he saw the same pair of eyes look in. Jack had sat up by then and was thinking about attempting a walk over to the tray. The tray was taken off and Jack heard the lock on the door go back. The pair of eyes came into the room, "Why didn't you eat your food was it not good enough for you?"

Jack looked at the man and answered politely, "I'm sorry I couldn't get to it. I have stitches in my side and back."

The man glared at him, "Was the food not good enough for you?" He spat at him angry.

Jack didn't answer him he knew no matter what he said the man would continue on like this. The man had one thing in mind and Jack was a prisoner now and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

The guard threw the tray of food at Jack. Jack put his arm up to block the tray from hitting him. The cold food flew onto him and the surrounding area.

The guard glared at him, "Clean it up now."

Jack looked back at him and answered, "May I have a paper towel or something?"

"No. Eat the damn food."

Jack looked at him; he wasn't going to play his game. The guard came at him much too quick for Jack to react. The guard pulled out his asp and smashed it against Jack's head. Jack felt the wooden asp hit him, and than blood pour down his face. Jack fell back into the wall screaming out in pain as he hit both his shoulders on the wall.

The guard yanked Jack off the bed and once Jack fell to the floor with a groan the guard went to hit him again but someone walked in and stopped him. Jack didn't know who, but he didn't care he was in to much pain to react. They left Jack on the cold floor blood pouring out of his head. Once they left Jack closed his eyes and tried to take note of any other damage. The stitches were still in tact he thought, and it only seemed besides the discomfort of being on his rib cage and the hit to the head he would live. Once the pain subsided Jack was tired from it and he slowly closed his eyes trying to fight of the sleep.

A new guard came the next morning and woke Jack gently. He helped the beaten man off the floor. He pushed Jack to the sink and let him clean his face off. He left a clean shirt of Jack to change into. Once Jack was changed he gave Jack a tray of food and warned, "You have about ten minutes than all the big suits will be here to decide your fate."

"Thanks." Jack said quietly.

"No problem. I heard what you had done with the Drazen thing. It's hard to believe how you ended up here."

"The good always fall." Jack said bitterly.

"You fell pretty hard than." The guard joked as he leaned against the door watching Jack devour the food.

When Jack finished he thanked the guard who set the tray on the bed and pushed Jack out of the room into the room they had sat up. When he was wheeled in he didn't notice anyone he knew. Soon after Palmer, Kate and Hammond walked into the room. Hammond smiled at Jack and took a seat behind him.

The other suits came in and quickly sat at the front table. Hammond had noticed the new cut above Jack's eye and some left over blood on him.

The suits also noticed this and much more from the doctor who was asked by Hammond as to Jack's state when he came in.

The head of the suits began, "Jack Bauer you are charged with Treason. How do you plead?"

Jack didn't know what to say, he was guilty he knew that, but he also had circumstances to aid in his defense. He thought to himself how wrong it was that he wasn't even given console to help him. "I don't know." Jack answered truthfully taking the suits off guard.

"What do you mean Bauer?" One of them asked.

"I am guilty in some frame, but I also have circumstances to prove that at the time I really had no other choice." Jack answered.

"Fine. We can move past that. You will have a chance to tell your story. First Ms. Warner will bring the evidence against you and than you will have a chance." The big suit decided after some thought.

By the end of the hour Kate had Jack painted as a calculating traitor that just woke up one morning and decided to go bad. Jack thought to himself through all of it, and I slept with her and trusted her at one time. He glanced at Palmer a few times and felt the betray even worse, he had believed in Palmer at one time. After Sherry died and Palmers administration feel apart he changed or he turned into the man he really was Jack thought.

They took a break and during the break Palmer watched as Hammond had Jack moved to a private room. Palmer wiggled in his chair some as they were gone. The head judge went with them. Palmer could only guess what they were talking about, but he was sure it wasn't good for him. He had been angry when he found out they wanted Jack moved to the detention center. Palmer already had the building that originally housed Jack set up so that he could know everything going on, but they ruined it when they decided to move the trail and Jack.

When they returned Hammond still sat behind Jack as if he were there to defend the man. The head judge asked Jack to tell his side of the story. Jack went through everything slowly from the day of the virus all the way to when he was captured at CTU. Different judges would interrupt from time to time to ask questions. When he finished the head judge asked, "And when you returned for the mission for the NSA they did all of this to you?"

Jack was surprised when the judge said the NSA. He didn't know who Palmer or Kate had been working for. "No not all of it." Jack answered.

"Than how did you get so messed up son?" The judge asked. "You had to of already healed from your time with Ms. Myers men."

"Yes sir I had."

"Than how did this happen?"

Jack looked around nervous at first, but the judge continued to ask what had happened, "After I was caught at CTU I was taken to a facility where I was questioned about everything I knew." Jack said flatly.

"Questioned how?"

"By a huge man." Jack said cryptically.

"You mean to tell me, you were tortured?"

"If you want to use those words sir." Jack answered.

"Who ordered this?" The judge continued on.

"I'm not sure who sir."

"Who was present besides the man than?" The judge was going to get to the bottom of this. The United States had strict rules about that sort of stuff. Even if they considered him an enemy combatant he still had rights.

Jack said in a quiet voice, "David Palmer and Kate Warner were present."

"Speak up son. Did you say Mr. Palmer and Ms. Warner were present?"

"Yes sir." Jack said still in a quite tone.

Palmer stood up to defend them, he explained how Jack was being uncooperative.

"Sit down Mr. Palmer." One of the judges snapped.

"Tell me what you remember of your time there." The same judged asked.

Jack went into the details from the first night with all his smart comments, which got chuckles out of the judges, to how they poisoned him once the finally gave him food and water, to when he attempted to kill himself and than was cuffed so that he could not do it again and beat more, and finished off the story with the last long night of never ending beatings.

By time he finished some of the judges could not hold back the shock they felt. Hammond got up to leave the room in the middle of it. He couldn't hear it anymore as much as he had not always liked Jack he respected the man. While he was out of the room he wanted to call to check on something. He knew where Tony had been the week he was gone. Hammond called hi at CTU and said, "Tony I need your help."

"Yes sir."

"I need you to find proof that we knew where Jack was when he was first with Nina, and what was happening. Anything, and I need it fast."

"Yes sir." Tony said ready to help Jack, he already knew where to look. "do you have access to a fax machine?"

"Yes." Hammond stopped a guard walking by and asked for the fax number there. He read it to Tony who said, "I'll have proof to you in ten minutes."

Hammond waited while the guard ran to the machine to get the proof he needed. When he walked back into the room the judges were still questioning Jack about what happened while he was undercover. When they finished Hammond said, "May I speak please."

The judge looked at him and said, "Is it pertinent?"

"Yes it is sir."

"Then go ahead."

Hammond gave the head judge the papers Tony had faxed him, "What I am giving you is direct proof that NSA not only knew where they were holding Jack while he was with Nina the first time, but they knew what was happening and failed to act upon it."

The judges looked over the papers and looked at Palmer, "Why?"

"We did not want to compromise our source for it."

"For a mans life?"

"There were more important things to get to." Palmer said.

"And this source is he or she still undercover?"

"Yes."

"We need to call it a day. We need to look into this further." The head judged said to shocked to react to the new revelation in the never ending mess that was the life and times of Jack Bauer.

Hammond jumped in before they closed preceding, "Sir is there any way Mr. Bauer can be released in the custody of CTU?"

"Why? He is perfectly safe here?" The head judged ask as he stood.

"Sir I have reasons to believe otherwise?"

"No Mr. Hammond. He will stay here for now."


	15. The Almost Grand Finale

Jack was taken back to his cell. The nice guard from earlier helped him onto the bed and left him. Jack was lying down with his eyes closed because he had nothing else to do when he heard the door open. He moved slowly to sit up to see Palmer in the door with the guard that had hit Jack with the asp earlier, Jack knew what was coming so he just sat there unable to stop it.

The guard pulled him off the bed letting him fall to the ground. Jack cried out, but soon found something shoved in his mouth and his mouth tapped shut by the guard so that no sounds would come out of him. The guard leaned back against the wall and let Palmer do the rest. Palmer walked over to Jack and kneeled next to him, "You just couldn't keep your mouth shut could you. I'm probably going to loose my job because of you now." Palmer said looking in Jack's eyes noticing a small look of fear. He smiled at it and stood up. He kicked Jack repeatedly in the ribs. Jack moved his hands to block the kick's. He was doing a good job until the guard walked over and pulled his arms back. Palmer went at him again this time making sure to hit his injured side the most. The guard put his knee into Jack's back and pressed in hard. Jack muffled scream was barely heard. Palmer finished him off with a hard kick to the head that dazed Jack. The guard undid the gag and left Jack on the floor bleeding.

Jack was gasping for breath as they left. He felt immense pain in the left lung the one that had collapsed earlier. His eyes were watering from the pain and lack of oxygen. He knew a part of his lung had collapsed again, but there was nothing he could do. He fought to stay conscious and fight off the pain, he tried to take deep breaths in order to try to re-inflate the lung but they only hurt. He felt his eyes slowly closing as he fought to keep from passing out. He felt himself slip into darkness as he heard the door open again.

Hammond had come back to talk to Jack and was escorted to Jack's cell by the guard that had been nice to Jack earlier. When they opened the door the guard ran down the hallway seeing the state Jack was in, to get the doctor.

Hammond went in and check Jack's pulse. He found a faint one. He put his ear to Jack's lungs and could tell that one of them had collapsed again. He rolled Jack onto his back and began to force air into Jack's lungs hoping to help the collapsed one. The doctor came in and said to Hammond who was breathing into Jack's mouth, "The ambulance is on the way." Hammond continued on as the doctor checked over Jack, the only major problem he could find besides the damage done to the already damaged gun shot wound was the collapsed lung. The ambulance arrived and they loaded Jack onto the stretcher they quickly hooked up to a breathing machine they had with them and moved him quickly through the halls to the hospital. Hammond stood in the cell and asked the guard, "Who did this to him?" Hammond said threateningly.

"I don't know." The guard answered truthfully.

Hammond believed him he had been helpful and had told Hammond about how he had found Jack earlier that morning. Hammond left shortly after and followed the ambulance to the hospital.

They took Jack into surgery and after an hour they fixed all the damaged done. He was wheeled into recovery where there were now six security guards with the orders to only let Hammond and Jack's doctors in to see him. Hammond sat in a chair in the room with his head in his hands waiting for Jack to wake up. He heard a slight groan and smiled as he knew Jack was coming around. Hammond looked at him as he slowly opened his eyes. "Bauer you just can't keep yourself from getting beat up can you. I wonder how you survived so long with such crappy fighting skills."

Jack laughed and winced in pain caused by laughing, he said in a hoarse voice, "Don't make me laugh it hurts."

"You thought I was joking?" Hammond continued on, "Do you think you've taken this far enough now?"

"I still don't have enough evidence to hang him for Operation Nightfall."

"Jack you have more enough to hang him for what was done to you."

Jack snapped partially out of pain and aggravation, "But they can say they never knew I was undercover?"

"Were you the entire time? I don't think you're that great of an actor Bauer." Hammond said.

"For awhile there I wasn't sure myself. Yes when we went into CTU I knew what I was doing, and I knew it was wrong, but I didn't care because we had never discussed that part of the mission. It took me awhile to figure it was needed, but I never expected them to be able to break me like they did. When CTU caught me again, I was trying to continue with the undercover mission because I still had not found out who Nina was working for or who had set up Operation Nightfall. I didn't expect the treatment I got, but I went through it. I should have given up earlier, but a part of me believed in what I was doing with Nina. That scared me. I wasn't sure what side I was on at that time."

"I figured that. But we'll keep that between us. We will keep it as we had originally planned before . . ." Hammond stopped, "You do not that was never part of the plan Jack. After she died I really thought you had fallen off the face of the earth and found out later that you were in with Nina. I wasn't sure if you were doing as we had planned or if you were actually in with her."

"I wasn't either Brad. I'm still not sure."

"That's fine. Like I said we'll keep that a secret. No one needs to know. You had every reason to be in with her."

"Thanks Brad." Jack knew Brad was a stickler for the rules, and was going against everything he had believed in to help Jack.

"It's the least I can do for asking you to go through so much hell just to bring down a few people. Rest easily I'll be here most of the time and when I'm not Tony and Chase agreed to keep watch. You don't have too many fans out there. I'll let the tribunal know what was really going on and get the charges dropped against you. I'll make sure Palmer gets prosecuted for what he had done to you, and I'll check with a source I have to get more information on the Nightfall maybe we still can hang him on that. " Brad said knowing that was the one thing Jack had wanted, the only reason why Jack had decided to help Brad when he came to him with the idea of him letting himself be captured by Nina and than after some time of being interrogated giving in so that he could gain their trust and than work undercover from there to bring down the dirty people that were plaguing the government.

Jack smiled weakly at Hammond. "Thanks."

"I should be thanking you. I didn't do anything." He said smiling. "Get some rest Bauer that's an order."

Jack smiled as he closed his eye he was tired and he knew he needed to rest.

When Jack woke the next morning Tony was standing by his bed looking out the window. When Tony noticed Jack had woken up he scowled at him, "You know Jack you're an arshole."

"Why thanks it's nice to see you too Tony."

"I really thought you had switched sides Jack. You know how bad I felt as I watched that stupid arshole beat the crap out of you, how guilty I felt for not finding you while you were away with Nina. And to come and find out it all was one big deception." Tony said angrily.

"Tony I'm going to let you into a little secret. None of it was planned. Hammond came to me after I got back from Mexico. He knew the government was riddled with moles and he wanted to take some of them down. He promised me a chance to find out who set up nightfall. You know Nina hinted at while under interrogation that she knew who had done it, and done a lot more to hurt the country. I had to know. But when Michaels killed Kim that kind of put a screw in the wheel." Jack said sadly. "I really had hit the bottom and was ready to give up than. Nina and her men came to my apartment I'm sure Palmer sent them. I have no proof but I'm sure he did. They did break me Tony. I was in two literally. Part of me good and the other part bad. I had sort of switched sides. When I was with Nina everything seemed simple and if CTU had not stopped us I would of let her walk out of there with the disk. They broke me again, that big ars dude did. And than I was just to confused to do anything. I don't know how to explain it to you. But I never fully lost the good side, it went away for awhile, but I never lost it."

Tony understood what Jack was saying and decided to keep it to himself. It was much better if they made it sound like Jack was in control the entire time. "Michelle will be by later. She came last night with me and she spoke to the doctor. She said you were so thin, and you needed some real food. The doctor agreed so she has her mom cooking."

Jack laughed, "Oh thank God I didn't want to have to suffer through another one of her meals."

"You're telling me. She's my wife, think about that. If I don't get home and cook before she does than . . "

"Than what Tony?" Michelle walked in looking at him angrily.

"Than I get a lovely cooked meal from my lovely wife." Tony said smiling at her.

"You got that right." She set the small tupperware container of food in front of Jack. She helped him raise the bed so he could eat, "You eat that all now Jack." She said in a motherly tone.

Jack ate quickly starving from lack of food.

"It's nice to have you back Jack." Michelle said sitting next to him.

"It's nice to be back." He said. Than the realization hit him, Kim was gone for good, she would never be back and he frowned.

Michelle knew what he was thinking about and had already figured out a way to help him. "Hey once you get out of this place you are staying with me and Tony not arguments. I can take you know Bauer."

Jack was going to argue, but he was sure Michelle would try to take him and would win. "I don't want to be a burden."

"Well you aren't going to be able to live on your own either." She said.

Chase walked into the room and smiled at them, "Already laying into the poor man Michelle?"

"Shut up Chase. Or I'll make sure you come over to help."

"Yes ma'am." Chase said smiling at her. Chase felt a little weird going to see Jack, he wasn't sure if he should because he knew every time he saw Jack he thought of Kim and he was sure Jack did the same when he saw him.

"Hey Chase how's the hand?" Jack asked not knowing what ever came of it.

"Fine. I got most of the movement back." Chase said showing him.

"Great."

"Looks like you took worse. I think it's time you left field op's also." Chase joked. "What am I saying you'll be ninety and unable to move, but still trying to work undercover. I can see it your going to break the illegal marijuana selling in the old folks home."

"Very funny Chase." Jack said not laughing.

Michelle finally decided to tell Jack the bad news, "Palmer disappeared. We don't know where he is. No one does. We are trying to track him down."

"I figured as much." Jack said.


	16. THE END OF THIS ONE OEN MORE SEQUEL THA...

After two long weeks in the hospital the doctor finally allowed Jack leave. Michelle and Tony picked him up from the hospital and moved him into the spare bedroom of their house. Jack was able to move around now on his own and happy for it. His cast had come off his wrist, and his collar bone was almost healed. Michelle had a big dinner cooked and invited Chase, her older friend Pam, and even Hammond over for supper that night. Michelle had left Pam and Jack to go finish fixing the food before everyone came. Tony was in the kitchen supervising to make sure the food was edible.

"What are you doing Michelle?" Tony said knowing very well what she was trying to do.

"He needed someone, she needs someone, and they are right for each other even if they are just friends." She said smiling at her husband.

"Whatever." Tony said rolling his eyes.

Michelle walked out with a bottle of wine to find the two laughing. Pam was probably telling one of the many stories of her college experience with a younger Michelle. "Pam you better not be telling to many embracing stories, I can still take you Jack."

"So how many frat guys did you give your . . " Jack went to ask but Michelle gently smacked him before he could finish.

Tony heard from the kitchen and yelled, "What did you give them?"

"Nothing." Michelle said glaring from Pam to Jack. She was happy. She knew Jack was usually shy around new people, but you couldn't get away with being shy around Pam she was so out going that it made you want to match her.

The dinner went well, Jack hit it off with Pam and they planned to go out for coffee some time. Jack told her he had to go somewhere soon to handle something for CTU and would be back later. That night Jack thanked Tony and Michelle and told them he had to go handle some matters in Germany for CTU. Michelle frowned unhappily. She looked at Hammond who was there and he raised his hands, "Hey it's not my fault. I tried to get him out of having to do it, but they need some information on Nina and Jack is the best with that. I'm going with him don't worry." Hammond said reassuringly.

"Oh that's just great." Michelle said sarcastically, "You were the one who came to him with the stupid idea of the last mission."

Hammond smiled at Michelle and said, "It worked didn't it?"

"Yeah it did Michelle." Jack said echoing Hammond.

"And look how you came out of it? I swear your must have taken more hits to the head than I thought. You have some serious brain damage they need to look over Jack."

Jack left with Hammond that night. They caught the first flight to Germany. They both slept during the flight and when they landed they went to meet their contact who would show them where the person they were looking for was hiding. When they got to the small cottage Jack and Hammond went into the woods both with a night scope they checked out the house. Jack saw his target and took aim, but he couldn't pull the trigger. Hammond noticed the hesitation and smiled. He had given Jack the go ahead on the mission to kill Palmer if he wanted to if not than that was fine they would just capture him and take him back, but Hammond left it up to Jack.

Before Jack could say he couldn't do it he saw a car approach. They both ducked quickly and than got back up to watch the man Jack knew only as the man that had talked to Nina, Nina, and Steven walk into Palmers cottage. Jack watched through the scope as Steven grabbed Palmer and held him as the Nina's boss began to beat him with a baseball bat. Jack sat there unwilling to stop it. He watched as the man continually hit Palmer. Jack heard the cries of pain and almost shot at them twice, but Hammond stopped him. "Don't let them finish." Hammond said.

Jack looked at him and obeyed for once in his life, he wasn't killing Palmer, he justified to himself. Hammond called for back up from the German police this would be a huge bust he knew. He waited until he was sure it had been long enough and he sent the police who sat back a mile or so from the house as to not bring attention to them. They all stormed the house taking Nina's boss, Nina and Steven alive. Palmer was almost dead when they went in. Jack smiled at them as he walked into the room. Nina looked at him and couldn't help but smile back at him, he had finally won and he deserved it she thought. The ambulance took Palmer to the hospital where he later died of unknown reasons. The way the authorities had put it together someone had poisoned him with neurotoxins that caused his lungs to shut collapse and he suffocated to death.

When Jack got back to the United States with Hammond he read about Kate's murder in the news paper. Someone had executed her in her house. Jack felt a sad for her death; he had cared for her once. He felt like the past few years were finally closed, he had brought the person who sold them out in Operation Nightfall down finally, his wife's killer and the people who ordered her death were behind bars, and he had already killed Kim's killer. He could finally let it go, he had let them down, but made it up by bring justices to the people who did them wrong. Jack went to the grave yard where Kim and Teri were buried. He sat there for awhile before he went to his new apartment. He called Pam to schedule the coffee date, and than turned on the CD player.

_Some of the ugliest things took the longest time to make  
And some of the easiest habits are the hardest one's to break  
And I'm not asking for value nor the pain but I am asking  
For a way out of this lie_

_  
Because I can't wait for you to catch up with me  
And I can't live in the past and drown myself in memories  
_

_In Memory_

_  
Welcome to nowhere and finding out where it is  
And fixing your problems and starting over again  
_


End file.
